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Maharashtra

Bombay high court: Mumbai restaurant with eating house permit can’t serve herbal hookah on the menu.

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MUMBAI: Bombay high court held herbal hookah cannot be on the menu in a restaurant operating on an eating house license from the Brihan mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
It cannot be countenanced that grant of a license to conduct an eating house is deemed to include a license to conduct Hookah activities and the civic chief is certainly required to consider issues that could be a nuisance or dangerous said A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and R N Laddha on April 24 denying permission to ‘The Orange Mint’ a lounge in Chembur to serve herbal hookah (HH).
The HC held that the Mumbai municipal Commissioner Iqbal Chahal has appropriately exercised his discretion under the Mumbai Municipality Act, to prevent HH being served at the lounge. The BMC is noted expected to keep a “continuous vigil’’ on hookah activity of the petitioner said the HC adding, “Once it is clear that hookah activities are not part of the Eating House license conditions, such activity cannot be permitted”.
Justice Kulkarni authoring the order, gave an illustration saying, “In a restaurant or eating house, where children, women and elderly visit for refreshments/eating, it cannot be expected that hookah is one of the menus being served and more particularly of the category as offered by the petitioner using flame or burnt charcoal.’’ The HC said, “This would amount to an absolute nuisance’’ at the restaurant and were it to become a reality, “the impact it would create on such customers at the eating house can just be imagined”.
Under Section 394 of the Municipal Corporation Act, restaurants are issued an eating house license to operate. Section 394, said the HC prohibits certain trades, processes and operated without a license and empowers BMC To seize, destroy to prevent danger or nuisance.
But the section cannot be interpreted to mean such license would permit the restaurant to serve ‘herbal hookah’ said the HC whose order was made available on May 1.

“The Municipal Commissioner in granting license is certainly required to apply his mind to such issues which are dangerous to life, health or property of the citizens, as also, on issues which are likely to create a nuisance…’’the HC said.

Entrepreneur, S B Parkhi, the petitioner through her counsel counsel Mayur Khandeparkar submitted that the license issued by the BMC would include serving of ‘herbal’ hookah. The challenge was to April 18, 2023 order assed by the Medical Officer Health, M/West
Ward, directing to stop serving such herbal hookah within seven days, else they
eating house license shall be revoked, without any further notice.
Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) lawyer Kunal Waghmare took the stand that an eating house license would not permit any such hookah activity.
Authoring the order, Justice Kulkarni said the section cannot be interpreted “narrowly”.
“On a holistic reading of Section 394 of the MMC Act, the contention of the petitioner that the eating house license granted to her permits “hookah activities” or conducting any “hookah parlour” under the terms and conditions of the eating home license, is totally untenable,’’ held the HC adding, “ The canvass of Section 394 of the MMC Act, is quite broad to take within its ambit articles, trade, operations, which are dangerous to life, health or which are likely to create nuisance, as quite extensively described in the provision”.
The HC reasoned that the legislatures’ intention can be derived from the clear wordings that include in its ambit any article, trade, process or operation which in the opinion of the civic chief are dangerous to life, health or property or are likely to create nuisance “either from its nature” or by reason “of the manner” in which or the conditions under which the same are or are proposed to be used and carried on.

Maharashtra

Mumbai BMC Elections Samajwadi Party’s first list released but no decision on ward number 211

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Mumbai: In the Mumbai municipal elections, Mahayoti and Maha Vikas Aghadi have not yet reached an electoral agreement, while the Congress Party, Samajwadi Party and AIMIM have released their first list of candidates for the municipal corporation. The Samajwadi Party has released the first list of 21 candidates, in which Zeb-un-Nisa Malik has been appointed as the candidate from 213, along with Shahzad Abrahani from 212. There is a tug of war going on in the Samajwadi Party over ward number 211, so the party has not announced its candidate for this ward. SP leader Raees Sheikh has also introduced his brother Salim Sheikh as a candidate for this ward. The Samajwadi Party has not yet taken any decision regarding the ticket in this ward, while the candidature of Raees Sheikh’s brother is also being opposed. Local women have opened a front against Raees Sheikh and have also submitted a claim for the SP candidacy. In such a situation, who will be given a candidate from 211 in the Samajwadi Party is still pending. Samajwadi Party had announced to separate from Maha Vikas Aghadi and contest the elections alone, while Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have also reached an electoral understanding. Along with this, Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar’s NCP is also in talks regarding an electoral understanding. If there is an electoral understanding between Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar, then the Congress party is ready to contest the elections alone, this has been claimed by Congress leader Jaya Witward. In the Mumbai BMC elections, every political party is trying to outdo each other, while the two brothers have formed an alliance on the issue of Marathi Manas and banners of Marathi Manas being united are also being displayed in Mumbai city.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Municipal Corporation general elections: Attendance at election training mandatory for officers and employees, criminal action will be taken against absenteeism

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Mumbai: Municipal Corporation All officers and employees involved in the election process will be provided with necessary training to conduct the general elections in a transparent, fair and smooth manner. Training sessions have been organized from Monday 29th December 2025 to Monday 5th January 2026. The date, time and venue of the training have been intimated separately to all the concerned officers and employees. It is mandatory for the officers and employees to attend this training. The Municipal Corporation Administration has issued a strict warning that as per the instructions of the Hon’ble State Election Commission Maharashtra, criminal action will be taken against the officers and employees who are absent from the training or do not follow the orders. The State Election Commission, Maharashtra has announced the election schedule for the Municipal Corporation General Elections 2025-26. The voting process for the Municipal Corporation General Elections will be on Thursday 15th January 2026 from 7.30 am to 5.30 pm. Also, the counting process and results will be declared on Friday 16th January 2026 from 10 am.

All the stages related to the election process have been strictly planned to conduct the Municipal Corporation General Elections in a completely transparent, fair and smooth manner. Since it is necessary to provide necessary training to the Polling Station President (PRO), Assistant Polling Station President (APRO), Polling Officer (PO) and the employees involved in this election process, special training sessions have been organized by the Municipal Administration. This training session has been organized from Monday, December 29, 2025 to Monday, January 5, 2026. Training will be implemented in various stages during this period. The training will provide detailed guidance on the responsibilities of the election process, code of conduct, voting and counting process, legal matters and steps to be taken in emergency situations. The main objective of the election training is to make the election process credible and transparent by avoiding any kind of error, ambiguity or malpractice.

The date, time and venue of the training have been communicated to all the concerned officers and employees through separate appointment orders. It is mandatory for all officers and employees to attend this training. Absence will not be accepted for any reason. As per the directions of the State Election Commission, the Municipal Corporation Administration is giving a strict warning that officers and employees who are absent from the training session, do not comply with the orders or fail to perform their duties in the election process, will be subject to disciplinary action including criminal proceedings under Section 28 (a) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. Please take this matter very seriously and attend the training and discharge your duties honestly.

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Crime

मुंबई के पायधोनी में करोड़ों रुपये के ड्रग्स के साथ 9 आरोपी गिरफ्तार, इनमें 3 महिला तस्कर भी शामिल

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मुंबई : ड्रग्स के खिलाफ एक बड़े ऑपरेशन में, पायधोनी पुलिस ने 1 करोड़ रुपये से ज़्यादा की हेरोइन ज़ब्त करने और दो पुरुष और दो महिला ड्रग पेडलर को गिरफ्तार करने का दावा किया है। जानकारी के मुताबिक, 16 दिसंबर को दोपहर 2:30 बजे पायधोनी पुलिस स्टेशन की सीमा में पी.डी.मेलो रोड पर एक सर्च के दौरान, 37 साल के राम नटवर ठक्कर और 27 साल के वसीम सैयद के पास से 326 ग्राम से ज़्यादा हेरोइन बरामद की गई। आरोपियों को गिरफ्तार कर लिया गया और उन पर एनडीपीएस एक्ट के तहत मामला दर्ज किया गया। जांच के दौरान, आरोपियों ने बताया कि वे ड्रग्स कहां से लाए थे। उसके बाद, पुलिस ने 30 साल की रुबीना सैयद को गिरफ्तार किया। उसने बताया कि वह शबनम शेख के संपर्क में थी। उसे राजस्थान के अजमेर से गिरफ्तार किया गया। जब यह पता लगाने के लिए जांच की गई कि इन दोनों महिलाओं ने ड्रग्स कहां से हासिल किए थे, तो शबनम शेख को ड्रग्स बेचने वाले व्यक्ति, मुस्कान समीउल्लाह शेख 19 साल को मस्जिद बंदर इलाके से गिरफ्तार किया गया। पुलिस को जानकारी मिली थी कि अब्दुल कादिर शेख और मेहरबान अली मुस्कान को ड्रग्स सप्लाई करने आ रहे हैं, जिस पर पुलिस ने जाल बिछाकर अब्दुल कादिर को गिरफ्तार कर लिया। उसके पास से ड्रग्स भी बरामद हुए। जोगेश्वरी में उसके घर की तलाशी के दौरान नवजीत गुलाबी खान, शारिक सलमानी, समद गुलाबी के पास हेरोइन मिली। उनके पास से कुल 33 करोड़ से ज़्यादा कीमत के ड्रग्स ज़ब्त किए गए। इस ऑपरेशन में पुलिस ने तीन महिलाओं और 6 पुरुषों को गिरफ्तार किया और करोड़ों रुपये के ड्रग्स ज़ब्त किए। यह ऑपरेशन मुंबई पुलिस कमिश्नर देविन भारती के निर्देश पर डीसीपी विजय सागरे ने किया।

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